Geneva police are requesting residents to be mindful of suspicious behavior in their neighborhood following a residential burglary reported at 12:50 p.m. March 28 in the 1000 block of Westfield Course.

Officers discovered a rear window was broken to gain entry into the home, and jewelry of an unknown value was reported missing.

Daytime residential burglaries also have occurred on the east side of St. Charles during the past couple of weeks. Most residential burglaries occur during the day since, as a general rule, homes are empty during that time. A common method used by daytime burglars is to knock on a door to see if the resident is home. If somebody does answer the door, they might make up a name of someone they are looking for or try to pass themselves off as a solicitor.

The Police Department will be providing extra patrol in residential areas throughout Geneva. While there is no guarantee all burglaries can be prevented, there are some steps that residents can take to lower the probability of becoming a victim of this crime.

• Trim bushes around windows and doors;
• Lock doors and windows and secure window wells;
• Make sure all valuables are out of view; and
• Installing motion activated lighting and burglar alarms are beneficial.

Police strongly encourage residents witnessing any suspicious activity to report the incident to authorities as soon as possible. People who see someone who is unfamiliar to the area, in somebody’s backyard or a vehicle that appears out of place, call 911 and an officer will respond to investigate.

Anyone with information on the Westfield Course burglary are asked to call the Geneva Police Department Investigations Division at 630-232-4736.

SOURCE: city of Geneva news release